Damascus

The Damascus Region

Perhaps no region along the Abraham Path is so historically and culturally diverse as the Damascus Region. The region’s namesake, the city of Damascus, is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world; and, as such, the surrounding area bears traces of more civilizations and eras than almost any other. The Abrahamic heritage in the region, too, is rich: just north of Damascus lies Mt. Qasioun, the mountain from which local legend claims Abraham received revelation of the oneness of God – a revelation that forever changed the course of his life and journey.

Many have journeyed through the Damascus Region over the course of history. Tales of Muhammad’s encounters with the landscape are many; and, over the following centuries, the centers of civilization south of Damascus served as the last places of respite before Muslim pilgrims set out on the final stretches of their journey to Mecca.

The stories, sites, and scenery of the Damascus Region are forever intertwined with the cultural heritage of the surrounding area and with the adventure inherent in any grand journey; nowhere is the spirit of the Abraham Path better expressed.